Predicting stimulant effectiveness in hyperactive children with a repeatable neuropsychological battery: A preliminary study

Abstract

1. 1. A double blind assessment of change on neuropsychological tests was used to determine whether psychostimulant medication would improve a particular hyperactive child's performance on tasks requiring attention and learning. 2. 2. Thirteen hyperactive children were tested on a repeatable battery of cognitive-perceptual-motor tasks under each of three conditions: low dose of dextroamphetamine sulfate; high dose; placebo. 3. 3. A ranking system was used to determine the comparative efficacy of doses in terms of overall performance on the battery. Results showed that d-amphetamine was more effective than placebo for 11 of the 13 children. 4. 4. The advantages of the assessment method for the physician, in terms of titrating doses quickly and in continuing to monitor dose effectiveness in long-term follow-up, were discussed. © 1981.